Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-04
INDUSTRIAL TOPICS.

News From all Quarters The Busi
ness and Industrial W Grid on shell
Prices Firm Production Increas-
ing--No Boom in sight Yet--A Big
Year Coming.
A feeling approaching an apprehension
of higher prices is manifesting itself in
trade. manufacturing and jobbing cir
cles throughout the northwest as well as
the middle and eastern sections of the
country. The entire country breads a
speculative advance in values, and yet
there are two powerful cliques endeavor
ing to so manipulate matters as to bring
about this condition of things. The
volume of business for the past week
shows sharp advance over the preced-
ing week. Operations in all industrial
and manufacturing channels are now ex>
banding rapidly. The army of travelling
York and San Francisco. and reporting
back by telegraph already an immense
amount of business, and much of it is
done, they say. at slight advance over
last seasons prices. While this is giati-
flying to manufacturing and jobbing
interests, it is not satisfactory TO the pro,
dGcing interests who as yet have not be-
gun to realize corresponding advance
on their productions.
This inequality must be equalized and
no doubt will be, but at present there
are no evidences that it has set in
Milers at Minneapolis are storing flour
for better prices. The foreign demand
just at present is rather light. The
wheat markets throughout the world are
rather excited. This country has 70. =
| 600, 900 bushels of wheat available for
export The probabilities are very strong
| for foreign war in the spring, and specs
ulators are preparing TO take advantage
of it and to that end are endesvoring to
| keep the American farming interests in
the dark through the leading newspapers
Business is reported improving all over
the west where traffic is possible. Wool
has advanced in prices all over the coun-
try, and textile goods are moving up a
| little on account of the rushing 10 of
heavy orders from retailers Carpets
are quiet owing to last years livestock
ing. Knit goods of all kinds are scarce
aud factories are working full time. All
of the wooden and worsted mills are
crowded with orders in the New Eng
land and middle states, and generally
speaking the textile manufacturing inter-
ests are in excellent shape.
In Boston boots and shoes are very
active, but other branches of trade are
dull. At Philadelphia, trading is only
moderately active. At New York a
heavy distribution of all kinds of mer-
chandise is going on. At Cincinnati.
leading lines Of manufactur are very
busy. At Pittsburg, the iron trade Is
unprecedently active At St. Paul. a
slight improvement has taken place.
| Throughout the northwest great prepas
raiions are being made for enlarging
building activity. Throughout the
southern cities improvement is appar>
ent, but it is of moderate proportions.
This is the way labor reformer puts
the case: In 1850 the capitalists owned
/ less Than half the property of the country.
| In 1860 they owned over half of it. In
| 1870 they owned two-thiTds of it. To-
day they own more than three .fourths OF
it. and at this rate Of progress, be argues,
| it will take but fourteen more wears for
them to own the entire country. In this
connection it is rather curious to observe
| that the wages of labor have been stead
Ily advancing during the periods named,
and that an hours or days labor or q
/ dollar. will buy more bread and meal
today than at any time.
The boot and shoe manufacturers say
that the labor agilations have had i
paralyzing effect on the boot and shoe
traffic. They say, however, that super,
| tiuous stocks have been gradually worked
off. so that when activity is restored the
| traffic will be livley. Raw material are
declining. and the cost of production it
IS thought may be reduced. The New
England boot and shoe makers have
struck frequently of late and have not
YET made satisfactory arrangements with
their employers for the season. The St
Louis boot and shoe factories are all 10
operation. Several western shoe factor
les are projected. Manufacturers in
Cincinnati are well sold up. Ia Brock
ton, Mass, many OF the factories are
doing next to nothing. More or less
trade is being driven out of the large
shoe centres in that state into smaller
towns. The export trade in upper
leather is gradually expanding, and
in England large shoe factories are
operated almost exclusively on American
leather The shoe manufacturing iu>
dustry in the south and southwest is
developing in healthy growth
The North Carolina cotton manufac>
turers are crowded with orders, and peo>
pie can have land for nothing who will
put up mills there A Chester Corliss-
engine builder has Just been putting in
some huge engines at Durham, y. c.
Brookside. Tenn. is turning out 5000, :
O00 yards of cotton goods every year,
and the Athena (Ga) cotton mills cannot
keep up with their orders The Parkes-
vile ga mill will double the capacity
of the wooden mill and erect a bobbing
and shuttle mill A cotton mill is to be
built at East Birmingham, Ala, and
another cotton mill is going UP at
Camden, Ala The silk mill which was
to be located at Sus9uehanna, Pa, has
been captured by PbOenixvile. A new
silk mill will soon he running in Reading
Carbondale is bidding for industrial es-
Adjustments and wants boot and shoe
factory. wooden mill and knitting mill.
Coal is IS cents ton. land nothing, no
taxes for ten years, and all the girls and
women that are needed at $3.50 to s.